Deforming the Earths Crust

Key Concept:
Tectonic plate motions deform Earths
Crust. Deformation causes rock layers to
bend and break and causes mountains to
form.
 Deformation
Stress is the amount of force per unit area
on any given material.
When plates move, rocks layers on Earth
receive stress.
Rocks react differently with stress,
sometimes they bend other times they
break.
 Deformation continued
Deformation is the process in which rocks change shape
in response to stress.
 Folding
Bending rock due to
stress is called folding
Scientists assume
that all rock layers
started horizontally
 Anticlines
An anticline is a fold
which the oldest rock
layers are in the
center of the fold.
Many times the rocks
fold in the center and
form an arch.
 Syncline

A syncline is a fold
which the youngest
rock layers are in the
center of the fold.
Many times the rocks
fold in the center and
form a U Shape.
Shapes and Folds

Folds do not always

have symmetrical
bends (look the same
on both sides).
Sometimes
Asymmetrical bends
occur (look different)
Folds may also be
turned on their side,
called a recumbent
fold.
 Faulting
When a rock has so
much stress that it
can no longer bend
or stretch it will
break.
The surface along
the break is called a
fault.
The broken crust at
the fault are called
fault blocks.
Faults are
sometimes vertical.
 Sometimes a
Faulting cont. fault block is not
vertical.
The fault will
contain two
different fault
blocks. A foot
wall and a
hanging wall.
Normal Faults
In a normal fault,
the two plates
move away from
each other.
Tension is a force
that pulls apart.
The hanging wall
slides on the
footwall.
Example is a mid
ocean ridge.
Reverse Fault

In a reverse fault the

hanging wall moves
up on the foot wall.
Compression is the
stress that pushes the
plates together.
Occurs in a
Subduction zone.
 Strike-Slip Fault
Along a Strike-Slip
fault, two faults move
horizontally past each
other.
Occur at transform
boundaries.
 Plate Tectonics and Mountain
Building
When giant plates moved
around, their edges grind
and cause stress.
Over long periods of time,
this process may crumple
and push up the margin
of the plates.
When this happens
mountain building may
occur.
Three types of mountains
A) Continental-Continental Collision are: Folded, Fault-Block
B) Normal Fault and Volcanic.
C) Strike-Slip Fault
D) Reverse Fault
 Folded Mountains
When rocks are
squeezed together and
pushed upward, folded
mountains form.
This occurs at
convergent boundaries.
The Appalachian
Mountains are an
example of folded
mountains.
Fault-Block
When tension on the
earths crust causes it
to break into many
faults Fault-Block
mountains form.
The layers of the
crust break and drop
in elevation compared
to surrounding layers.
The Tetons are an
example.
 Volcanic Mountains
Occur when molten
rock erupt onto the
Earths surface.
Most volcanic
mountains occur
around convergent
boundaries.
Occur on land and in
the sea.
Mt. Shasta is an
example.